


played it so nonchalant (it's time we danced with the truth)

by unusannus



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Bears, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Love Confessions, another thing on the list of reasons why lena needs therapy, but i'll add it anyways, but this has a happy ending so no worries, just realized in every fic i have up lena is Not having a good time, that tag sounds weird with no context, the camping au no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 10:35:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19990726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unusannus/pseuds/unusannus
Summary: Kara and Lena go camping. Lena forgets her sleeping bag and has to squeeze into Kara’s, various feelings ensue.





	played it so nonchalant (it's time we danced with the truth)

**Author's Note:**

> i'm punching my anxiety in the face by posting twice in one week so that's nice and,yes, the title is based off a lyric from sober by lorde.

Lena sighs as she stuffs the last of her clothes into a backpack she had bought the day before because, as Kara had put it, “I’m concerned that you think you need a suitcase to camp for only 3 days.” 

Sure, she had never gone camping once in her life, but when Kara had suggested it to her during one of their daily lunches she couldn’t turn down those puppy dog eyes for anything. And now she has to really confront the fact that she kind of sort of has a huge crush on her best friend. She almost laughs at herself in pity as she sits on her bed to contemplate how she would deal with it when on the trip, just the two of them. 

It was going to be a long three days.

She doesn’t even know if Kara likes girls. Obviously, she wouldn’t want to force her into anything, but it would make her situation easier if she just knew. 

As if sensing that she was thinking about her, Kara’s name showed up with the familiar heart emoji on her phone as it rang She tapped the green answer button and swiftly pressed the phone to her ears as she greeted Kara. 

“Hey, I’m almost there, just wait like-” She cut herself off, probably checking the time on her phone, “Five more minutes.”

“Didn’t you text me that 15 minutes ago?” Lena questioned, biting back a smile. She heard Kara groan.

“Ugh, there is so much crime - I swear they all heard I’m taking a vacation and want to prevent me from going for as long as possible.” Her complaints only causing Lena to laugh at her. “Take your time, I’m in no rush.” She assures Kara.

Kara scoffs, “I don’t want to take my time, I just want to be with you.” She says it so matter-of-factly that Lena feels her stomach do a flip. Best friends can feel this way about each other, right?

She’s silent for a few moments, getting lost in the wisps of clouds mulling around the skyline by her balcony while she tries to process her overwhelmingly not so platonic feelings.

Kara hesitates, “You still there?” Lena jumps slightly, pulled back into their conversation. She’s glad Kara can’t see her blushing face as she realizes what just happened and shakes her head slightly.

“Yeah, yeah I’m still here, just got lost in my head for a second.” 

Kara’s tone quickly dissolves into worry, “If you’re having second thoughts about this, I totally understand. I mean, you know that, obviously, but it’s ok. I know you haven’t really left your job in forever, so-” Lena cuts her off.

”Kara, I’m fine. I promise but I appreciate that you care enough to check.” 

She hears a sigh, “Of course I care about you. You’re my best friend.” She mumbles in a shy manner that makes Lena swoon at how adorable she must look right now.

As Lena hears the faint sound of police sirens over the phone, she struggles to hide the disappointment in her voice, “I think that’s your cue.” 

“Yeah, I’ll see you soon, Lena.”

_________

Once Lena says her goodbyes she hangs up and goes to her kitchen to pour herself a drink. She passes the time watching TV until she hears a faint knock on her front door. Before she can even check who it is she hears a faint voice on the other side yell, “It’s Kara!” She’s quick to unlock the door as soon as she hears that.

And there she is, Kara Danvers in all her glory. Her hair looks disheveled, probably from her flight here and she’s carrying two chinese takeout bags in one hand and her duffel bag in the other, bright and sunny and it immediately eases Lena’s worries about their trip. Lena takes a step towards her, but that’s as far she gets before Kara is wrapping her in a hug. Her strong arms firm on Lena’s back.

“I am so ready to get away from everything.” She murmurs into Lena’s shoulder. 

Lena sighs in agreement, feeling content to stay here all day, but she’s the first to pull away anyways. She glances at the food with a raised eyebrow, “I’m assuming that’s our lunch?” Kara nods fervently.

They finish their food in an hour and start bringing their supplies into Lena’s car. The drive there is only a few hours and filled with them belting out the lyrics to NSYNC and the like the entire time. 

_________

By the time they arrive at their campsite it’s nearing nighttime, leading them to take priority in setting up their tent. After a few (many) mistakes in the structure of how a tent is supposed to look, they finally finish it and get to work on creating a fire to make s’mores, something Kara was particularly excited about since Lena had never tried one before.

As the initial intensity of the fire dies down to a low crackle they share a log to sit on. Kara tears open the marshmallow bag and hands one to Lena. “You’re life will be forever changed because of this.” She informs Lena in a voice so serious that Lena finds it hard to believe that she’s joking. 

“I doubt that.” Lena counters. 

Kara gasps dramatically but bursts out laughing before she can defend herself. 

S’mores are much better than Lena thought they would be, really, just not her favorite food in the world, but if she plays them off to be one of the greatest things humans have ever made to make Kara happy, well, that’s nobody's business but her own.

_________

Around 10pm they crawl inside the tent after dousing the fire out. Lena digs through her backpack to find her sleeping bag. She rummages through it for a few minutes, growing more and more concerned at only finding clothes, clothes, and ,would you look at that, more clothes.

Then it hits her, she forgot to pack a sleeping bag.

She takes a few deep breaths because any irregularity in her heartbeat would go straight to Kara’s super hearing and send her to her side in a millisecond. She didn’t want Kara to worry about her, but it seems that her heart still betrays her because Kara looks up at Lena with furrowed brows in confusion,”Are you okay?” She asks with concern lacing her voice. Lena nods slowly, trying to figure out how to tell Kara what a dilemma she’s gotten herself into.

Kara scoots over to Lena’s side and Lena’s resolve crumbles,”Um, actually...I think I left my sleeping bag back at my place.” 

She glances wearily at Kara, she expects her to be disappointed, mad, or even frustrated with her. This doesn’t feel like a small mistake for her, of all the things she could’ve forgotten it had to be one of the most important ones.

But, to her surprise, Kara laughs, “Then we can just share my sleeping bag!” Lena cracks a small smile, shaking her head Of course Kara wouldn’t make her feel worse by making it a big deal. Lena feels undeserving of the all the love Kara has to offer to the world. She will never truly understand how they even became best friends.

Then, it dawns on Lena She’s going to be sharing a sleeping bag with Kara. They were going to be pressed up against each other in an enclosed space, and Kara expects her to sleep soundly? 

As they set up for bed, Lena’s anxiety worsens. They had slept in the same bed or couch before, but this felt much more intimate. Their campsite feels isolated from the rest of the world.  
Kara had told her the other day that she did this on purpose so she could wear her glasses less often and be unbothered by stray sounds emitted from the city. Lena also recalls that Kara is a cuddler. She’s not one for hyperbole, but she feels like she might die tonight, emotionally, that is. 

The time for bed comes far too quickly for Lena and before she knows it she’s in her pajamas trying to build up the courage to just get in the sleeping bag. Kara slides in first and scoots to its side, gently patting the space next to her, “Ready for bed?” She asks, stifling a yawn. Lena gives her a tense nod with a smile she hopes doesn’t look like she’s not being held at gunpoint.

Lena tentatively slips under the cover, almost flinching at the immediate intimacy of their thighs brushing against each other. Her jaw tenses and she decides to just get it all over with, forcing the rest of her body inside . She turns her head away from Kara and chooses to stare at the flimsy cloth of their cheap tent flapping at the intensity of the wind outside. 

“Good night, Kara” She says, not daring to look back at her.

The night time brings cold weather with it but Lena, being as stubborn as she is, refuses to initiate any cuddling with Kara, who is basically a heater of her own. It didn’t bother Lena that she had powers, no, it bothered her that she craved Kara’s touch. Her school girl crush was beginning to be the demise of this supposed vacation for the two of them. 

As she’s stuck in her thoughts she doesn’t hear Kara speaking to her until she feels a hand on her shoulder, she jumps at the contact. “ Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!” Kara instantly apologizes. “It’s just that you were shivering, I was asking if you were cold.” Kara explains herself with ease.

Lena gathers up the courage to turn her head towards Kara her breath hitches. Their faces are so close that their noses are inches away from each other. Kara’s blue eyes are so much brighter and clearer in the dark, like pools of water. 

Lena clears her throat, trying to catch her breath “Y-yeah, It’s a bit cold, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.” She tries to distance her thoughts away from further inspection of Kara’s eyes and goes to turn back away from her.

Kara stops her, picking up her hand and dropping it again, “You’re freezing. Let me warm you up.” Lena gulps at that, feeling her face turn hot despite the aforementioned weather. Kara’s arms reach out for her until she realizes that she’s become the little spoon. 

Kara is cuddling her in a sleeping bag. 

Kara. Is. Cuddling. Her. In. A. Sleeping. Bag

“Is this okay?” Kara slurs out, already half asleep (Lena is still amazed at how fast she can just pass out). Lena nods before she realizes that Kara can’t actually see her.

She sighs and tries to suck it up. She’s been through literal assassination attempts for God’s sake. A cuddle with Kara should be nothing. Dismissing her previous worries, she snuggles deeper into Kara’s embrace. It’s not like this is the worst thing that could happen here.

“Yeah, this is okay.” She mumbles back, smiling softly to herself.

__________

The next few days are filled with hiking, terrible attempts at fishing, and star-gazing on picnic blankets. The first time they go out hiking it’s to the top of a reasonably sized mountain. Lena pauses quickly at the cliff to tie her shoes which prompts a snarky remark from Kara.

“Wow, you’re actually not wearing heels for once.” 

Lena playfully rolls her eyes, shoving Kara slightly to her right, causing her to stumble and slip of the ledge of the mountain. Kara’s surprised yelp is cut off as she goes down. Lena’s eyes widen and if her best friend didn’t have the ability to fly she would not be feeling as relieved.

She comes back as quick as she fell, holding her stomach because she’s laughing so hard. “I can’t believe your instinct to that was to kill me.” She gasps out in between laughs and gently lands back next to Lena. “I did not purposely shove you off, it just happened!” Lena defends herself, trying to stay serious but Kara is still cracking up and her eyes are squinting so much that crinkles are forming on the corners and Lena’s resolve breaks, joining her in laughing.  
__________

On the third and final afternoon Kara informs Lena that she’s going out to gather more wood for the fire and insisted that Lena stay back, so she spends her time reading a book she had packed as the sounds of nature surrounded her. 

She catches the sound of a branch breaking behind her and assumed that Kara was back with the supplies. 

Without turning around she asks ,” Did you find enough wood?” The flipping of her page is the only sound heard. The sound of leaves crunching and branches snapping only grows louder, much louder. She huffs and puts a bookmark in her stopping point and turns around in annoyance. 

“Why are you making so much noi-” She cuts herself off. Her mouth dries up as she stares at what is quite possibly the largest bear she has ever laid her eyes on, not that she’s ever seen a bear in real life, but that thing is way bigger than the ones on TV. Her heart beats out of her chest and she stares in shock.

It’s staring at her, eyes emotionless as it sways its paws at some stray trash it knocked out of their garbage bags. The coffee colored fur is matted and wet like it just went for a swim in the nearby lake. Its mouth opens to let out a guttural growl and Lena acts on her instinctual fight or flight response, promptly choosing flight.

When thinking about this particularly traumatic event in the future Lena would scold herself for doing the one thing you were advised not to do when faced with a dangerous animal, which is, of course, to run from it.

Her legs are moving away from the predator before she can even process it. She gets a good distance due to her adrenaline rush, but the heavy thud of footsteps only grows closer. 

In true horror movie fashion she trips over an overgrown root of a tree. She cries out in pain and tries to stand to no avail. The bear is soon on top of her, arms at her side pinning her to her spot. It snarls, showing off its yellowing canines. Its face inches closer and roars right into her ear, the ground rumbling around them. As the rumble dissipates she still hears a faint ringing in her ears.

Lena closes her eyes. The only thought on her mind being I can’t believe I’m going to die without ever telling Kara how I feel. She thinks of how lame her excuses have been, it’s Kara of all people even if she didn’t feel the same way she would never hate Lena for it. God, she was so stupid.

Tears threaten to spill from her eyes as she squeezes them shut even tighter, readying herself for the pain she was about to endure. 

The weight of the bear is miraculously lifted. The freedom leaves her paralyzed in shock and she keeps her eyes shut out of fear it’ll come back until a warm hand is on her back helping her sit up. 

“Are you okay?”

Lena wearily opens her eyes and sees Kara. Her eyes filled with worry as she examines Lena for any injuries. Lena lets out a breath of relief that resembled a sob. Kara’s expression falls further as she takes in the state Lena’s in.

“Come here.” She tells Lena, wrapping her in a hug. Lena doesn’t hesitate to bury her head on her shoulders and cries quietly as Kara rubs her back reassuringly whispering sweet nothings to help her calm down.

“I-it was so close, God, Kara it was in my face.” Lena chokes out, reality setting in. 

“I know, I know, but you’re okay now. I promise. I got you, Lee.” The nickname slips out and it comforts Lena more than ever before.

Lena tries to stand but the pain that shoots through her right leg is unbearable, “I think you sprained your ankle.” Kara informs, steadying her. She’s quick to pick Lena up, slipping one arm under her knees and the other under her neck. Lena makes a noise of surprise as she’s lifted off the ground, flying just above the trees. 

“What exactly are you doing?” She demands, not daring to look down.

Kara laughs, “Flying you back to our camp, duh.” Lena raises an eyebrow in amusement but let’s herself to be flown away.

Once on the ground, Kara sets Lena down next to the burnt out fireplace so she could lean against a log. She pulls up her pant leg to reveal a swollen bump on her ankle. She tentatively grazes her fingers over the tender skin causing Lena to wince. Once she got a good look at the wound she enters their tent and returns with a first aid kit. 

Lena’s head tilts in confusion, “You brought a first aid kit?” 

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve only gone camping once and you never have, so it was important to be prepared if we needed it, which we obviously now do.” Kara replies, eyeing her injured ankle with an uneasy expression.

Lena’s eyes soften, “Hey, I’ll be fine. You said so yourself.” 

Kara smiles sadly, “I know, doesn’t mean I’m any less worried.”

Wapow. That’s it. This must be what love. Lena feels a rush of warmth engulf her body, resisting the urge to kiss her she studies Kara, the Kara only she knows, the one who is equal parts intimidating and adorable. Without her glasses one and her hair let down, she sees the person that Kara herself wants Lena to understand.

Kara opens the kit to take out an elastic bandage, “I’m going to wrap this around your ankle, it might hurt a little, just be ready, okay?” 

Lena chews on her lip as she hesitantly nods. Kara wrapsthe bandage with ease and makes sure it’s compressed. Lena grimaces at the slight sting, but it wasn’t as bad as she thought. 

Now that the initial problem was solved Lena’s mind wandered, “Where did the bear go when you came for me?” She asked, “I didn’t see it as we flew here.” Kara’s cheeks grew red and she goes to fiddle with her glasses before realizing they’re not there so she just palmed her face for no reason, “I - Uh, well it might sound stupid.” Lena only grew more curious at her sudden anxiousness.

Kara gave her a nervous look, “I picked it up, carried it like 20 miles away, and just left it in another part of the woods.” She tells Lena in one breath. 

Silence, and then Lena’s laughing. She’s laughing so hard that tears are coming out of her eyes. 

Kara whines,” This isn’t funny! I couldn’t just kill a random bear.” She explains with her signature pout, the cuteness clashing with her crossing her well built arms. 

Wiping away tears Lena says, “I’m sorry, it’s hilarious to picture you picking up that monster of a thing so effortlessly and just leaving it miles away and probably very confused.” Kara tries her best to keep a straight, sad face, but the small upturn on the corner of her mouth tells Lena that she finds humor in this as well. 

Their moment of happiness dies down as fast as it came and they’re left staring into each other’s eyes. A newfound tension feels the space between them, unaware of the others thoughts as they get lost in the silent moment.

This is it Lena thinks to herself, gulping as she tries to muster up the courage to confess her love - yes love - for Kara, but the other woman is quicker to break the silence.

“Lena, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Kara’s voice lacks any humor, instead she looks serious, rivaling the times when Supergirl needs to break out her intimidation on a petty criminal. Lena gasps quietly, enamored with her eyes and she really needs to respond but wow who allowed Kara to be as ethereal as she is? 

She blinks once in an effort to clear her mind, “O-okay.” is all her mouth can muster as an answer.

Kara bites her lip nervously, “I know that this trip was supposed to be a vacation for the both us,” She flails her hands to correct herself, “ And it was, but I also invited you because I had something special planned for us today, ” She pauses, cautiously gauging Lena for a reaction, only meeting with her puzzled expression as she waits for Kara to continue.

Kara clears her throat, struggling to get her words out, leading Lena to grasp her hand gently for comfort. She looks down to their interlocked hands, her anxious expression only growing deeper and Lena thinks she sees tears pooling in her baby blues.

“That.”

Lena is taken aback at the sudden one word statement, “Excuse me?” 

Kara huffs, taking in a new sense of confidence, “You always know what to do, Lena. You know when I’m mad or sad or just don’t want to talk to anyone and eat ice cream while watching cheesy rom-coms. I know that you gush about how I’m so nice and sweet to you, but you seriously underestimate yourself. You have the kindest soul I have ever known.” 

She throws her hands in the air, exasperated now, “I mean, for Rao’s sake you visit the children’s hospital you created once a week. When we were fighting you still found it in your heart to give me a suit you made to save me from kryptonite poisoning!” 

Lena’s mouth is slightly agape, at a loss for words, not used to Kara raising her voice even if it is to throw numerous compliments to her. Although, she doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

“Today you almost died. I would’ve lost you if I was even a second late. If that had happened I don’t know how I could live with myself, which assured me that I’m making the right decision right now. You are the most important person in my life. The bond that we share is amazing and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but I realized a while ago that I wanted more because-” 

She stares into Lena’s eyes intensely.

“Because I’m in love with you.” 

Lena feels like she might pass out or have a heart attack, maybe both. Did she hear that right? Kara Danvers is in love with her? She can’t help but find it funny that she was just about to confess her love for Kara minutes before.

However, Kara goes back to her tense and worried appearance, taking Lena’s silence negatively “I-I’m sorry. I know that this may be a lot to take in but I just couldn’t keep it from you anymore.”

Lena’s eyes widen slightly, arms flailing as she sits up straighter “No! No, of course not. It’s okay, really.” It’s even better than okay but it seems that Kara has heard none of her reassurances.

“You don’t have to tell me how you feel if you don’t want to. In all honesty, if you don’t want to speak or talk to me for a few days, weeks even, I will totally understand. Please don’t feel pressured to like me back or anything I-”

Lena’s lips swiftly shut Kara up.

Her hands hold Kara’s face softly as the hero’s hands find their way to her waist. Lena keeps her eyes shut, savoring the moment she’s wanted to have with Kara since the moment the trip began. It’s rough at first by her sheer force of surprise, but once Kara is over her inner shock she melts into the kiss. 

Her lips are smooth and she tastes like peppermint and everything is perfect and beautiful. This is all Lena ever craved, honestly, content to stay like this for eternity

After a few more seconds they pull apart, needing air. Kara’s lips are smudged red with Lena’s lipstick, her chest heaves slightly. Lena is doing the same but she can’t help the grin that comes to her face as she stares at Kara.

“What was that?” Kara asks

Lena laughs loudly, “I couldn’t think of any other way to get your attention.”

“Well. you certainly got it.” She pauses for a second, pointedly looking at Lena,” So, does this mean you like me too?” 

“Oh my God, yes! Why else would I just make out with you?” Lena can’t believe that Kara  
is still having doubts. 

Kara shrugs as if she has no care in the world, “I don’t know! I was literally just talking about how nice you are so I would not put it past you to kiss me just to make me feel better.”

Lena scoots closer to Kara, if that’s even possible, and grasps her chin lightly so they could talk in a more direct manner, “Well, I do love you Kara, not just like but love.” She makes sure to add the ‘love’ part so they’re both on the same page.

Kara sighs happily, gazing at Lena in a dream like manner like she’s her entire world. She leans forward, letting their foreheads meet, “Will you be my girlfriend, Ms. Luthor?” She asks, a teasing hilt to her voice but Lena knows from the way she purses her lips that she’s still scared of rejection.

Lena looks up to meet her eyes, “Of course”, confirming her response by pecking Kara on the lips. 

_________

A few more minutes of making out occur under the moonlight before Lena has to ask Kara a question that’s been bugging her since her confession.

She’s wrapped in Kara’s arms once again in the sleeping bag and this time she’s not scared or nervous, just happy.

“Hey.” She starts, getting Kara’s attention.

The other woman hums back in response, playing with Lena’s fingers.

“You said that you had something special planned for us today, but the bear ruined it so what was it, exactly?” 

“Oh, I was going to take you on a picnic. That’s where I planned to tell you I love you.” 

Lena chuckles, still swooning over the whole ordeal “Can we reschedule that? I would really like to have a real first date with you.” She turns to her, eyebrow raised in question.

Kara nods, “ Of course, whenever you want to.”

__________

The next day they pack up all their belongings and bring them back into Lena’s car. 

About 30 minutes into the ride back Alex calls Kara saying she’s been worried sick about her because she hasn’t answered her phone. Which promptly reminds Kara that her phone died yesterday and she never bothered to charge it, feeling preoccupied with Lena, so she promises Alex to run errands for her for a week as payback.

She also takes it upon herself to tell Alex everything that happened on the trip, and (with Lena’s consent) how their own friendship has evolved into a relationship.

Being on speaker allows Lena to hear what Alex has to say but other than some hums out of confusion or agreement and a gasp when Kara speaks of the bear, she doesn’t say much.

Well, not until Kara finishes, that is.

A few seconds pass.

She takes a deep breath. 

“ I want to say I’m surprised that it took a bear attack of all things for you two idiots to realize you’re in love but I’m not, I’m really not.”

**Author's Note:**

> me @ lena about to die and having her last thoughts be about Kara: "lmao that's so gay"
> 
> i only listened to the album beachboy by McCafferty while writing this so take that as you will. 
> 
> also can we get some W's in the chat for Alex spitting straight facts.
> 
> on another note, this idea came into fruition on a prompt generator website so thanks for that, internet (it's prompts.neocities.org). i have another lil fic i'm planning on posting 'soon' but it's a little more in depth so it's taking a while but be on the look out for that because i'm pretty proud of it so far.


End file.
